Watch Over Your Heart – Special Message for American Heart Month

Our hearts are truly hard working, because we expect them to do so much!

Consider these great quotes about the heart from ‘Known and Unknown Sources’.

The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. ~ Jane Austen

The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers. ~ Deepak Chopra

You change your life by changing your heart. ~ Max Lucado

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart. ~ Charles Dickens

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. ~ Confucius

It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. ~ Helen Keller

All grand thoughts come from the heart. ~ Vauvenargues

Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances. ~ Author Unknown

Proverbs 4:23 advises to… Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.

All of this wisdom and understanding is especially important since heart disease is the number one killer of adults living in the U.S. – men and women alike, and people of color alike.

What is not alike is what heart disease or even a heart attack looks like in men and women.

We have an image of what a heart attack looks like because of what we have seen in television and movies – brow sweating, clasping of the chest or arm and then collapsing to the floor. However, women should be aware that there are many other signs and symptoms of trouble in our hard working hearts.

What are the often different signs of heart disease in women?

Women are more likely to have symptoms other than chest pain. The image below shows some of the other signs of heart disease in women:

Research shows that women often come to emergency rooms after much of the heart damage has already occurred. This is because their symptoms were not what they expected.

What can women of color do to reduce their risk of heart disease?

Find out if heart disease runs in your family.

Make regular visits to your doctor or clinic, and find out if you are at risk.

Don’t smoke, and reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.

Check your blood pressure often.

Control your diabetes.

Check your cholesterol levels often.

Stay active. Walking every day can lower your chances of a heart attack.

Eat healthy and control your weight.

Eat less salt.

Reduce stress, angry or sad, since they can add to your risk of heart attack.

If you’ve had a heart attack, talk to your doctor about medicine. Some medicines can help cut down the risk of having another heart attack.

And remember:

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.

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